Negative Effects of Pork Consumption

Disclaimer

Let me be clear, I am in no advocating any association to any religious group. I am merely stating the facts and first hand testimony to my views. Although my religious adherence to certain dietary laws has led me to eliminate pork and pork products, these facts can give light to this choice.

What is pork?

Pork is the name given by culinary cooks to describe meat coming from a domesticated pig. The meat could be in the form of ham, chitterlings, pigs feet, pork rinds, spare ribs and bacon. It is also used in certain nonperishable products to preserve its self-life as lard.

What can pork do to the body?

It is advised that people cook meat until it reaches a certain temperature of 167 degrees internally. Unfortunately, most people are not that careful about cooking their meat, including pork. All meat products carry harmful bacteria and diseases that are potentially dangerous; however, pork is one of the most disease causing animals, if consumed undercooked or properly cooked. Some of the diseases that pork carries:

Listeria monocytogenes – If pork is not properly treated or undercooked it can cause listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogene is a bacterial foodborne pathogen that can be deadly. It is responsible for 500 deaths in the U.S. every year. Pork can even be re-contaminated with listeria monocytogenes even after cooking it, if this pathogen is in the meat.

Pork tapeworm – This tapeworm found in pigs is also called Taenia solium . In its early stages it causes cysticercosis (infection of tissues after ingesting the larvae of Taenia solium found in pork), which causes seizures. It can cause other neurological problems such as hydrocephalus, paraplegy, meningitis, and even death. The worse part of this disease is that it can spread from person to person even if they are not pork eaters. Unwashed or poorly washed hands can spread the disease.

Yersinia enterocolitica – This is a bacterium that causes gastroenteritis (sometimes referred to as stomach flu). This is not the stomach flu; however, those that ingest this bacterium unknowingly from pork will experience fever and diarrhea.

People are more prone to ulcerous skin infections if they eat a lot of pork.

This is due in part to the toxicity found in pigs and histamines. If a person is consuming a lot of pork then they can potientially be overloaded with histamines which causes inflammation such as allergic reactions, hives, and abscesses (as with hidradenitis suppurativa). Ingesting all of the toxicity of pork and pork products will cause you to become toxic. Many that consume pork on a regularly have chronic constipation. Constipation will keep all of the toxins that should be eliminated out of the body, in the body. Humans with toxic build up can experience various diseases and illnesses.

From J.H. Kellog, M.D.

J.H. Kellog, M.D. the creator of the Corn-Flake cereal had this to say about eating pork.

“Do you imagine that the repulsiveness of this loathsome creature is only on the outside? That within everything is pure and wholesome? Vain delusion! Sickening, disgusting, as is the exterior, it is, in comparison with what it covers, a fair cloak, hiding a mass of disease and rottenness which grows more superlatively filthy as we penetrate deeper and deeper beneath the skin.”

He concluded that diseases such leprosy, tapeworm, and trichinosis where caused by eating pork.

Pork Contains Loads of Sodium that Causes High Blood Pressure

Many of my elders have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Patients with these conditions are advised to cut out sodium and all foods containing sodium. This includes pork and pork products. Meats such as bacon, ham, and pork hot dogs contain higher level of sodium than most meats; and can be linked to causing high blood pressure.

There are many rebuttals for the consumption of pork. Certain religious groups found that consuming pork caused more people to become sick because the pigs ate everything. They ate excrements, garbage, and dead carcasses. Today, food advocates protest the prohibition of pork due to higher food safety standards. These standards are supposed to be better than it was in Biblical times. Just as those pigs were considered filthy then; they are considered filthy now. I am certain that the behavior of a pig has not evolved with the use of cleaner tactics of raising and slaughtering pigs. The fact still remains that a pig will eat anything. And, if a pork chop was taken from a pig that happened to eat everything in sight; what was eaten will be passed on to the consumer of that meat. I wouldn't take a chance on my health. Personally, I feel better when not consuming pork. Also, my husband experienced a decrease in blood pressure as he was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 29 (he is not overweight). Eliminating pork has helped to bring his blood pressure to a normal reading.

Comments

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Larry Rankin 2 years agofrom Oklahoma

Personally I eat pork, but it is not the healthiest of meats. On top of this, it is one of the most potentially lethal foods if not prepared properly.

Interesting hub.

Author

Katina Davenport 4 years ago

Hey thanks Mike! Disclaimers are needed about everything these days. Thanks for reading.

Mike 4 years ago

I actually find it kind of depressing that people nowadays actually need to provide a disclaimer like that. Too many morons learned to read. Love your hub btw!

Author

Katina Davenport 5 years ago

That is something to consider for another hub! Thanks for the idea. And, thanks for stopping by.

Nancy Yager 5 years agofrom Hamburg, New York

I agree with you that store bought pork is terrible for you and I have a difficult time digesting it. But I did have the opportunity to eat some wild boar over the holidays and did not have any trouble digesting it. So that brings us to a new topic all together.... Is meat (pork for the context of this article) really that bad for us? Or is it all the chemicals and steroids that the government insists we add to? Great subject to tackle in another hub. Loved your hub.

Author

Katina Davenport 5 years ago

I am sorry you didn't understand my article. I had mixed up my words. It wasn't intentional. Hopefully, the corrections explains what I was trying to say.

I meant histamines, not antihistamines. I never meant to put cholesterol causes high blood pressure. I also explained listeria a littler bit further. If you have any other questions or notice something please inbox me so I can me the corrections. Thanks.

Carolee Samuda 5 years agofrom Jamaica

How do you explain high cholesterol causing high blood pressure? What is Listeria monocytogenes? What is Yersinia enterocolitica? Can you explain "This is due in part to the toxicity found in pigs and antihistamines", I thought antihistamines were pharmaceuticals that block histamines from attaching to histamine receptors or something like that. In other words antihistamines are anti allergy agents but I could be wrong or I don't understand the relation between the pork and antihistamines.

I am not trying to be rude or judgemental, I just don't understand your article.